Chapter 17: Childhood Memories

They were walking through a new dimension, finding a natural portal that lead them out.

As they were searching for the natural portal, new posters of Ford were sprouting up, now saying that he was a thief as well. Annoyed, Ford ripped down poster and tore it apart. Layla was wearing a new scarf around her neck, no doubt that she had stolen while they were at the market, it being a glittery purple that accented her navy blue sweater.

Stealing that die was the first time Ford had ever stolen anything, Stanley was the one who stole. Even though Ford never approved his brother of stealing and lying… it did help them in certain situations. As he looked at the ever changing sides his memories came flooding back…

Hey, Stanford!

What, Stanley?

I found ten bucks!

Where?!

Someone's pocket!

Ford couldn't help but snicker at that memory. He was so worried that the two were going to get in trouble, but they never did. Even the few times that Stanley was caught he made sure that Ford wasn't the one getting in trouble.

Wow, Lee, it's very hot today… it would be nice if we could get some ice cream…

I got you, Sixer, don't you worry!

Sometimes Ford would suggest things to do, and Stanley would comply. Until one time he was caught… thinking of that day made Ford feel so bad for his twin because he partially caused it…


(Warning: There is some physical abuse.)

Two small young boys were running up and down the beach, one wearing thick glasses while the other had a missing front tooth, both with brown hair glittered with sand and bright, youthful brown eyes.

They giggled and laughed as they knocked each other in the sand, rolling around. After a little bit they would sit in the shade, near the docks. The docks were building a few rides, and one was a rollercoaster that when at the top of the hill you can swear you almost see New York City with its tall buildings.

"How much do you think those tickets cost, Ford?" Stanley asked in, his red and white striped shirt dirty from the sand.

"Probably five dollars a person…" Ford responded, putting a small six-fingered hand to his chin as he thought. "It might even be six dollars a person, Lee."

Stanley whistles, "Wow… that's a lot…"

"Dad would never let us go…" Ford muttered. "He would say it's too much money and that we don't have enough for something like this." He looked sad at the thought of not being able to have fun.

A sad expression passes over Stanley's face. Before Ford could as what was wrong the young boy went back to his upbeat attitude. "Don't worry, Sixer, I got this!" he cheers.

"Stanley… you probably shouldn't steal again…"

"What's the harm? I'll only take a dollar or two from each person, they won't notice!"

The two boys went onto the docks, walking through the tiny amusement park, them passing by the almost complete rollercoaster. Stanley was glancing around, trying to find the most distracted of people.

"Okay, Stanford, you just stay here and not be a part of it," Stanley tells his twin. "Then as soon as the rollercoaster opens, it'll be you and I at the very top!" he gives a huge smile, the gap between his teeth from the missing tooth showing through.

Ford gives a nod. "Okay, Lee, be careful okay?" he tells his brother.

Stanley scoffs, "I'm always careful!" The boy then runs off while Ford goes and sits on a bench, him taking out a book from his inside coat pocket. Once in a while Ford would glance up from his reading, seeing Stanley successfully take someone's wallet, take out a dollar or two, and putting the wallet back. Soon, Stanley came back with a total of twelve dollars. "Lookie here, Fordsy!" he laughed.

"That's stupid, don't call me that, Lee." Ford laughed as he playfully punched his brother in the shoulder.

Stanley laughs, "Yeah, whatever." They walked by a comic book stand, and once again Stanley joked that he should be getting money because of the man Stan Lee. "C'mon, Sixer, imagine if they sent us money because they thought that was me!" he would always laugh and joke.

"We can practice our art… maybe you can be a comic book artist." Ford suggested.

"Nah!" Stanley says, his face blushing red. "I'm not good at art… not like you, Stanford. You're probably gonna be drawing things for nerdy science books or somethin'…" Another sad look passes over Stanley's face.

"Stanley…?" Ford questions, him reaching out to put a hand to his twin's shoulder.

Stanley shakes his head. "Everything is fine, Ford! C'mon, let's go home, the rollercoaster doesn't open until Friday anyway!" he says casually to Ford as he grabbed his brother's hand and started running.

When Friday came around the two Pines twins were standing in line for the rollercoaster. As they got closer to the front, Ford gasped. The tickets were more expensive than he thought… it was seven dollars a person.

"Lee… we don't have enough…" Ford hissed to Stanley. "And I really wanted to go on the rollercoaster too…"

Stanley without hesitation reached out in front of him and pickpocketed from a woman's purse in front of them. He hands one of the extra dollars to Ford.

"We're gonna go on the rollercoaster, brother," Stanley sternly tells his twin.

When the woman in front of them went to give money to the ticket man, she started cursing. She could've sworn she had the right amount of money. The ticket man told her to leave if she didn't have enough, and she then dragged her son away, who was crying that he couldn't go on the rollercoaster.

"Oh… no, that's terrible…!" Ford muttered to himself as he and his twin handed the ticket man the money. They got their tickets and sat first car of the rollercoaster, Stanley jumping up and down in excitement. "Maybe you shouldn't have taken her money… her kid wanted to go on too…"

Stanley gives his brother a confused look. "Hey… you wanted to go on right? I never get to help you out with anything… you're always doing stuff for me! Now it's my turn!"

The ride then starts and Stanley whoops and yells excitedly. Ford couldn't help but laugh and join in as well. The beginning of the rollercoaster had a few twists and turns, then soon they were climbing up the hill.

"Do you think we could really see New York City at the top!?" Stanley gushes to Ford. "Or… or maybe we can even see Canada!"

"That is possible!" Ford agrees.

"CANADA! CANADA! CANADA!" the twins cheered together as the rollercoaster car climbed and climbed.

However, as they got higher, Stanley's face paled. He looked over the side and saw how high they were. His cheering got quieter and quieter, his breathing becoming ragged and panicked. They were too high… too high… humans weren't meant to be this high!

"Stanley…?" Ford worriedly says to his brother. "Are you okay?"

"We're too high, Stanford! I don't like it!" Stanley cries out. "Get me down, get me down!"

Ford looks forward and gives a slight grin. "Oh, we're about to get down, Lee," he tells his brother.

Stanley's face pales into a deathly white as one hand gripped onto the handrail of the car and the other gripped onto Ford's forearm. Ford grimaced at the sudden pain, but it was ignored as he felt the wind go through his brown hair as they descended.

Ford was screaming with pure joy and laughing. Stanley was screaming in terror and there were even tears in his eyes. Soon the ride was over, Stanley's knuckles a bone white from gripping so tightly.

"S-Stanford…?" Stanley stammered. "Y-you know how w-w-we argued about the top bunk?"

"Yeah…?" Ford replies.

"You can have it now…"

The two got off the rollercoaster, but they were greeted with two officers. The woman that Stanley had stolen from was next to them, her saying that they were the boys that were standing behind her and her son.

One officer looked at Ford, then he glanced over to Stanley. "Did you two steal from this nice woman?" the officer asked.

"No." the two lied, but then Stanley admitted, "I did. It was all me. My brother really wanted to go on the rollercoaster… so… so I-"

"Stealing is wrong, young man!" the woman screeched. "I bet your parents didn't raise you to act this way!"

The second officer was writing something down in a notebook. "Okay… what are your names?" he asked.

"S-Stanford-" Ford murmured.

"-and Stanley-" Stanley murmured as well.

"Pines," they finished in unison.

The first officer then said, "Oh, they must be Filbrick's twin sons… you know, the pawnshop owner…"

The second officer nods and writes that in the book. "Alright, come along you two," he ordered.

"What?" Stanley yelps. "Wait… what are you going to do?! Am I going to jail!?"

"No, we're taking you two home and talking with your parents," the first officer told him.

Stanley's face went white, just like on the rollercoaster. "I rather go to jail!" he screams. He then tries to run away, but the officer grabs him by the arms and starts dragging him away from the docks and towards the parking lot. "No! Let me go!" he kept screaming as he tried to struggle.

The twins were placed in the police car and they were being driven away. Stanley kept crying that he didn't want to go home, that he rather go to jail. Ford was then getting an uneasy feeling in his stomach… Ford knew their father was sterner than other kids' fathers. But what was Stanley so upset for?

Soon the police car pulls up to the Pines Pawn Shop that also served as their home upstairs. Ford complies with the police and gets out of the car, but as soon as Stanley's shoes hit asphalt he tried to run, only to be stopped by a loud scream of anger.

"STANLEY DAVID PINES!"

Stanley froze in place, and even Ford flinched at their father's yell.

The officers came inside and the twins' mother offered them drinks. As they got their drinks they explained how that Stanley was caught stealing money.

"My little Stanley?" Ma questions. "He's a good boy, he wouldn't do that…"

"I wouldn't put it past him." Filbrick grumbled.

"Stanley admitted to us that he stole the money," the one officer with the notebook said.

Filbrick gives Stanley a hard glare, then he glances at Ford. "Stanford, did you know about this?"

"Uh…" Ford stammered.

"No. He didn't." Stanley stated firmly. "He had nothing to do with it, it was my doing."

The officers then give Ma their empty glasses. "Well, we will be off, and I hope that you would make sure this doesn't happen again," one of them sternly said, giving a handshake to Filbrick.

As soon as the officers left Filbrick orders, "Stanford, go to your room. Now."

"But-"

"I need to talk to your brother in private."

Ford starts to climb the stairs, but he stayed at the top, trying to listen in.

"Why did you steal the money, Stanley!?" Ford heard Filbrick's voice demand angrily.

Silence.

"STANLEY!"

"BECAUSE I KNEW YOU WOULDN'T GIVE US MONEY!" Ford then heard his brother scream, his voice equally as angry in tone. "You…! You would've said that it's too expensive… just like with everything!"

"Oh, Stanley…" their mother's voice soothed.

"Don't talk to him right now, Martha, get away from him!" Filbrick shouts, causing Ford to flinch. "You still stole, you little brat, and that's wrong!"

"Well… well maybe I do it because I'm the reason this family doesn't have money!" Stanley cried. "I hear you talk with the neighbors… it's all my fault… it's always my fault! Shermie gets praise because he signed up for the military and is serving… Stanford gets praise because he's smart… I'm the screw up!"

There was then a hard slap heard, causing Ford to subconsciously rub his cheek. Then there was another hard slap, and Ford could hear his twin sniffle.

"Go upstairs. Now." Filbrick growled.

As Stanley ran upstairs, Ford runs into their room to make it look like he wasn't listening in. Stanley runs in and slams the door behind him, causing the few pictures on their wall to shake.

"Lee…" Ford tried to say.

"Leave me alone right now, Ford…" Stanley lowly said, his eyes red and puffy from crying and his left cheek was red and swollen from being hit.


That was the first time Ford had felt so guilty what happened to his brother, that he should've been punished too because he subconsciously encouraged his brother to steal.

It was also the first time that he had heard Stanley admit aloud that he was a screw up, that it was all his fault that their family had been poor. That was probably why as the two grew up he just kept stealing and got in more trouble…

"Ford?" Layla's voice breaks through his thoughts. "You okay? You've been silent for quite some time now…

"Hmm?" Ford glances at her, clearly distracted. In his hand he was holding a photo of him and Stanley in their boat they had found. "I'm sorry, Layla, did you say something?" he asked her.

She then takes the photo from Ford's hand, him trying to get it back. "Is this you and Stanley when you were kids?" she asks him.

"Yeah…" Ford whispers.

She then grins. "Let me guess, the one with the big black glasses is you?" she then chuckles.

Ford's face blushes red. "Yeah… Stanley had glasses too, but he never wore them," he says.

Layla then hands back the photo. "Were you thinking about him?" she gently asks.

"Yeah…" Ford admits. "I was just remembering how my brother got in real trouble for stealing…"

"What did he steal?"

"Money… for us to go on a new rollercoaster they built on the docks where we grew up…" Ford tells her. "He… he felt like he had to in order to make me happy. He'd steal money from people and get ice cream, or buy us a comic… obviously with technology back then our parents didn't know we were going to be twins…"

"He felt that he was a burden, huh?" Layla finishes. "Felt like no matter what he did he would never be good enough, so he just went for broke and did the bad things that people expected of him to do."

Ford looks at her in surprise. "How… would you guess that?" he questions.

"It's psychology," she stated. "But… obviously you still care for him, despite you saying you two had a fight, why else would you have this picture and be thinking of him?"

"Well… he is my twin brother after all…"

She then gives him a smile as she takes his hand and starts running toward a new portal opening in the distance. "And I bet he's thinking of you too…"


Stan was reading some kind of advanced physics book, something that normally he would never read in a million years, but he had to if it could bring his brother back.

Other books were piled around him, all had been found in Stanford's room. They were on advance math, some engineering, and many things on chemistry. He sat at the small desk that was in the basement behind a glass window, a control panel to his left with various flashing buttons.

After so long he stopped reading and glanced at the picture that he had of him and Stanford on the pier, a rollercoaster being built behind them.

"That was a day…" he murmured. "Hated heights ever since and…" he then rubs his cheek subconsciously. "Well… that doesn't matter… I need to get him back." He then sets the photo to the side and opens one of the books again, him murmuring the words to himself.

In the distance, towards the portal, there was a shadow of a triangle and a gentle echoing of a shrill laugh.


A/N: I know it doesn't really progress the story much, but it shows that the twins are still thinking of each other.

Also with Stan and Filbrick... sadly back in those times parents did hit their children, my parents can tell me stories all day about it. So, I am sorry for that little scene and its completely wrong for parents to abuse their children.

Thanks for reading as always!

~Skye Hendersen~